see red

Cultural  

1. To be or become extremely angry: “When Roger realized that he had been duped, he started to see red.”

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see red Idioms  

1. Become very angry, as in I saw red when I learned they had not invited Tom and his family. The precise allusion in this term is not known, but it probably refers to the longstanding association of the color red with passion and anger. [Colloquial; c. 1900]

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Example Sentences

This breakthrough may finally explain why astronomers rarely see red supergiants explode, even though models predict they should account for most core-collapse supernovae.

From Science Daily • Oct. 9, 2025

Whether happy or sad, when hens get flustered they see red — and so do their farmers.

From Salon • May 15, 2024

The researchers decided to focus on what New York University philosopher Ned Block has termed “phenomenal consciousness,” or the subjective quality of an experience—what it is like to see red or feel pain.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 22, 2023

Who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States.

From New York Times • Sep. 6, 2022

Straight and sturdy stairs led up to a little porch and I could see red and white gingham curtains in the windows.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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